Sunday, March 25, 2012

Conventional wisdom always tells us to follow the tried and true cures for illnesses whether it is for a cold or something much worse. And that makes sense because your doctor is usually instructing you to do that. However you probably have also heard of home remedies or tricks that can also make you better.The main remedy for sleep apnea of course is the CPAP machine, a rather cumbersome device that blows air down your mouth while you try to sleep. The constant air forces the airway to remain open in the back of the throat. While this method has proven to be effective for a lot of folks it is very difficult to get used to.There are other cures, strange cures, for sleep apnea.

You probably wouldn’t think that making faces would help with sleep apnea but some people believe that it does. In the past I have written about face and throat exercises and how they strengthen the throat muscle which in turn prevents them from collapsing while you sleep.I have read that some folks have found this beneficial but not everyone.

Another is playing the didgeridoo, a wind instrument from the aborigines from Australia. Once again this will supposedly strengthen the muscles of the back throat.

Something that isn’t really strange but I know will help is losing weight in the battle will sleep apnea. Less weight means less fat around the fat which another cause of blocking the airway.Losing weight when you are tired isn’t easy but it is definitely worth a try.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Sunday, March 11, 2012

As most folks with sleep apnea have found out, this disorder can cause more problems than just a lack of sleep. In previous posts I have written about the major danger of sleep apnea and that is the blockage of air in the back of the throat which means that oxygen is cut off which in turn forces your body to wake up. There are other major health issues that can also be associated with sleep apnea such as Diabetes, GERD and high blood pressure. Sleep deprivation due to this illness can also cause memory and concentration problems as well.Something that I didn’t realize though was that there is a connection between sleep apnea and pneumonia.

According to the National Library of Medicine pneumonia is “a breathing (respiratory) condition in which there is an infection of the lung. It is also a common illness that affects millions of people each year in the United States. Germs called bacteria, viruses, and fungi may cause pneumonia”

Connection between pneumonia and sleep apnea

According to a study there seem to be a connection between community acquired pneumonia and sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome.That certainly makes sense because pneumonia is caused by an infection of the lung and sleep apnea also has an adverse effect on the lungs. Bronchitis is also another disorder that is similar to pneumonia and has also been connected with sleep apnea.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Surprisingly enough not all sleep disorders are derived from sleeping too little.Sleep apnea, caused by blockage in the back of the throat, results in getting very little sleep if any and insomnia, which is the most common of sleep disorders, prevents you from getting any rest.30 to 40 percent of all adults have some sort of insomnia during the year.But there are those that have just the opposite problem, they sleep too much. If you have problems sleeping you probably don’t think that would be much of a problem but it is. Idiopathic hypersomnia is where you are sleeping excessively without a cause.

One sleep disorder that also causes you to fall asleep at any time or anywhere is narcolepsy. However with idiopathic hypersomnia it can be just as difficult to fight off daytime sleepiness as it is with narcolepsy. Another distinction is that with hypersomnia night time sleep isn’t interrupted unlike narcolepsy. According to the National Library of Medicine someone with this type of disorder can sleep between 14 and 18 hours a night. Even a nap during the day doesn’t necessarily help.

Since the name of the disorder has the word “idiopathic” in it you can probably guess that what causes this sleep problem are unknown. Treatments vary from changing your sleep routines to medications, check with your doctor to see what options you may have.